Table 4. Percentage Change in Medicare+Choice (M+C) Enrollment, by Geographic Region: 2001 and 2002.
- Total enrollment in M+C plans has dropped by 10 percent from September 2001 to January 2002. This drop in enrollment reflects both non-renewals and service area reductions. Among surviving plans, the plans included in the survey, enrollment has remained stable.
- Total enrollment over this period has been nearly constant, with an increase of 0.3 percent in individual enrollment and a decrease of 1.6 percent in group enrollment.
- The Pacific and Central divisions have seen large decreases in both individual and group enrollment.
- In contrast, the mountain and northeast divisions have shown sizable enrollment gains.
- While the aggregate enrollment is relatively constant, the plan-level enrollment has varied considerably. This would seem to indicate that the smaller plans are gaining enrollment more quickly than the larger plans, and that a more competitive M+C environment could be developing.
- In the West South Central there are nine active M+C contracts in 2002. Total individual enrollment decreased by 3.4 percent in this region, driven primarily by a 15-percent drop by the largest contract. Of the eight smaller contracts, six had increases in individual enrollment.
| Geographic Region | Change in Gross Enrollment | Average Plan Enrollment Change | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
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| Individual | Group | Total | Individual | Group | Total | |
|
| ||||||
| Percent | ||||||
| All Regions | 0.3 | -1.6 | 0.0 | 17.5 | -3.2 | 14.2 |
| New England | 8.4 | -3.2 | 6.1 | 54.2 | -5.0 | 22.4 |
| Middle Atlantic | 5.8 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 13.3 | -3.0 | 12.1 |
| South Atlantic1 | -1.9 | -6.8 | -2.3 | 35.1 | -20.3 | 33.2 |
| East South Central | -10.3 | -8.3 | -10.2 | -12.7 | 67.8 | -12.6 |
| West South Central | -3.4 | -15.5 | -4.1 | 73.2 | -35.5 | 72.6 |
| East North Central | -3.8 | -17.8 | -5.8 | -1.7 | -7.4 | -5.5 |
| West North Central | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 7.3 | 3.8 | 7.2 |
| Mountain | 3.8 | 0.4 | 3.4 | 10.1 | -4.0 | 9.6 |
| Pacific2 | -3.7 | -3.4 | -3.6 | -6.8 | -5.9 | -7.3 |
| Southern California | -1.4 | -0.3 | -1.1 | 10.0 | -2.0 | 7.2 |
| Miami | 0.9 | 53.0 | 1.2 | 34.7 | -33.6 | 35.0 |
1
South Atlantic is exclusive of Miami.
2
Pacific is exclusive of southern California.
SOURCE: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Data from a survey of 144 Medicare+Choice insurers, 2002.